Jeremy Reynolds, responding to New York Times chief critic Anthony Tommasini’s argument that U.S. orchestras will never become more racially balanced without affirmative action, points out that “blind auditions aren’t really blind.” What’s more, as Pittsburgh Symphony bassist Jeffrey Grubbs (who is Black) tells Reynolds, the real problem is the makeup of the student body at music schools: “I don’t know that diversity hiring would change things much, as my impression is the highest caliber Black musicians out there are getting jobs. There just aren’t very many of them.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette